PlayStation 2

Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance

In the end, with all the extra features that Substance has to offer, anyone who is a fan of the series would do themselves well to plop down an extra $30-40 for this updated version of Sons of Liberty. Substance is definitely going to deliver a good 30-40 hours of wildly diverse gameplay, and in all ways is a huge advancement over the VR Missions disc for the PSX. You may feel that Konami is just exploiting your love of the franchise to earn a few bucks, but once again the MGS team has managed to offer a solid title that anyone can appreciate.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was a winner. Substance is simply adding that ­ substance to the title that serves as the basis and core for the game. There is more here to do, and a broader experience to be gained. Yes, the missions are somewhat linear in nature, but the clear-cut objectives force it to be so. Substance is well designed, tremendous graphically and in the audio department, and a great, addictive ride.

However, those who have played MGS 2 (and that's probably most of you, based on sales figures) should treat this much in the same way as buying a DVD, only to find out a year later that they've released a double-extra-special collector's edition. Konami might be milking this cow for all its worth, but the milk still does a body solid.

Metal Gear Solid 2 has aged incredibly well in almost every aspect. It still looks, sounds, and plays great, and the fact that you can get the Greatest Hits installment for $20 is almost unbelievable. But that cheap price is what makes Substance a tricky buy. Is all the extra content worth the additional $20? If you were a fan of the VR missions from the first Metal Gear Solid, then yes, Substance is well worth your money. There's so much new content that working your way through all of it will easily take more time than the actual Sons of Liberty game. But, if you are one of those that could care less about remixed missions, VR missions, and watching Solid Snake skateboard, then stick with the greatest hits version of Sons of Liberty. It's cheaper and the core game is virtually identical.

Technically speaking, Substance earns its score based on the whole package—the game and the extras. If you’ve played the game before and didn’t like it, the score is going to seem high. If you loved MGS2, Substance is aimed directly at you, just like a PSG-1.

If you couldn?t get enough of Sons of Liberty or wanted more Solid Snake, Substance is a no-brainer purchase. Konami should have released Metal Gear in this form two years ago.

As convoluted as Hideo Kojima’s story for MGS 2 was, I miss his input here. While you can certainly play Sons of Liberty with this title, I don’t believe the extra material itself is worth a purchase if you’ve already played the main game. Yes, the action is still exhilarating at times, but without Kojima’s story and cinematics, I found Snake’s Tales to be rather dry. If the extras alone have you thinking of a purchase, I suggest you rent it to be satiated.

A pretty darn good showing for the guys at Konami. I really wish this had been how they released the game initially, because putting out a package like this makes the true fans feel kind of slighted. I mean, they bought the product first, and after they've given Konami their cash, they see all the people who didn't give any money get rewarded by having a really awesome version of the game come out.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance is basically Metal Gear Solid 2 with a bunch of extra content. Whether or not that appeals to you depends on how much you liked the original MGS2 release. If its gameplay made you all tingly in those special gamer bits, then you'll find a lot more of it here. The VR Missions alone could keep you busy for weeks. If, however, MGS2 didn't light your fire, your logs will remain unburnt by Substance. It's up to you to figure out where you stand on this continuum, but I can say one thing for sure: This is the definitive edition of Metal Gear Solid 2.

The production values may be really good, but they were already really good a year and a half ago, and that's the problem. If it isn't worth buying, is Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance even worth playing? If you've already had your fill of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, then no, not really. And if you've never played MGS2 before, that's probably because you're not interested in bearing with its long-winded storyline, so Substance probably isn't for you, either. However, the hard-core Metal Gear Solid fan should get a kick out for the VR missions and other extras, so Substance wouldn't make a bad rental if you went into it knowing what to expect. Essentially, though, Metal Gear Solid 2 still does hold up well after all these months.

PS2 owners who've already seen it through will probably want to throw their cash elsewhere but everyone else (particularly Xbox owners looking for a suitably alternative to Splinter Cell) could do a whole lot worse than look into MGS2:S.